Press Releases & Statements

AAMD Spotlights Innovative Digital Initiatives in Museum Field with Next Practices Publication

New York, NY

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April 23, 2015

The Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD) today released the second edition of its Next Practices series—resources designed to share information about AAMD member museums’ innovative programs in a range of focus areas. This latest publication, Next Practices in Digital and Technology, features examples of a broad swath of new and creative digital initiatives art museums are developing and implementing to enhance both the visitor experience and internal operations. From social media and mobile apps, to in-gallery interpretation and behind-the-scenes collections management, Next Practices in Digital and Technology explores the ways museums are using technology to advance accessibility, scholarship, education, and audience engagement.

“The explosive growth of communications technologies and digital resources has made a tremendous and vital impact on every aspect of the museum field, from how we interact with works of art, to how we engage our communities, to how we support daily operations,” said Lori Fogarty, Director of the Oakland Museum of California and Chair of AAMD’s Education and Community Issues Committee. “We are excited to continue the Next Practices series by showcasing the ways in which art museums are leaders in this essential part of contemporary culture, and to share the knowledge and creativity of our members with the broader field as well as organizations and individuals interested in technology in a cultural context.”

Next Practices in Digital and Technology comprises 41 examples of recent and ongoing digital initiatives designed by AAMD member museums. The publication underscores art museums’ diverse approaches to applying digital technology, and provides practical information for future programming at institutions worldwide. Featured programs include:

An audio compilation of the voices of more than 100 artists, scholars, designers, and students discussing their experiences of the RISD Museum collection, available for in-gallery listening via mobile device and online;

The Walters Art Museum’s application programming interface (API) that allows web developers, programmers, and the interested public to access machine-readable information about works of art from the museum’s collection;

A monthly Twitter chat led by museum educators at The Phillips Collection, each focusing on a single work of art from the museum’s permanent collection;

An “Artifact App” that provides additional interpretive content to New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) visitors; and

Multi-sensory tours for those with Alzheimer’s and low vision at The Art Institute of Chicago that enable enhanced access to works of art from the collection through 3D reproductions.

For more information, please click here to download a PDF of Next Practices in Digital and Technology.

“AAMD’s Next Practices series is designed to be both a guide and an inspiration for professionals in the museum community and the cultural realm at large,” said Chris Anagnos, Executive Director of AAMD. “This installment provides a public platform for our members to showcase the incredible ways in which art museums are using digital technology, and to spark new ideas for fostering the continued growth and evolution of our field—within and beyond our walls—so that we may better serve the public.”

The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing 242 art museum directors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, aids its members in establishing and maintaining the highest professional standards for themselves and the museums they represent. It serves as a forum for the exchange of information and the exploration of ideas, and as a voice with which museum directors may express their joint perspectives and those of their institutions. Further information about AAMD is available at www.aamd.org.